Labeling machine



J. DA SMITH.

LABLING MACHINE. MPL10/won man MAR. 9. 192x.

Patented Jan. 3,1921 y ma?) QQ m "lum/MM,

15 SHEETS-SMU l.

John/;

im NN Ifn. sII/IIIII.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, I92I.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922,

l5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

15 SHEETS-SHEE 3.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922..

|| Ill J. D. SMITH.

LABELING. MACHINE.

APPLlcATmN HLED MAH. 9. 192|.

J. D. SMITH.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION msn MAR. 9, 192|.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

15 SHEETS-sneer 4.

MIL-m l/Q J. D. SMITH.

LABELI'NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 9. |921.

Patented Jan. 3,1922.

15 SHEETS-SHEEI 5.

J. D. SMITH.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 9, 192|.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

l5 SHEETS-SHEEI 6.

www.. @R5

WKK..

,www ma,

J. D. SMITH.

LABELING MACHINE. 'APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9. 192|.

1,402,262' Patented Jan. 3, 1922 l5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. D. SMITH.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.9.1921. v

*157402,262, Patentedstn; 31212922. 15. ,20 Zzyfyzf. Z:

[l im, .i

.Chim nu# I. D. SMITH.

` LABELING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9.192I. lqcoggga Patented Jan. 3, 1922;

I5 SHEETS-SHEEI 9,

, Y h II- I III i I Q I. D. SMITH. LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FIL-ED MAR. 9| 1921.

Lqogaz, Patented Jan.r3,1922.

I5 SHEETS-SHEE I0.

IIIMIIIIIIIU Mumia..- MIMI IIII 404 III .ll IWI I I II www Il l-IIIII xj Ill-IIIIIIII T11. Y

I I nminn 300 250 It mnnl I lIlI l -II II-u J. D. SMITH.

LABELING MACHINE.

v APPLICATION HLED MAR. 9. .1921. 1,402,262.

Patented Jan. 3; 1922;.

l5 SHEETS-SHEE 1l.

' ai l J. D. SMITH.

LABELING lvlAcHmE.

APPLlCATlON FlLED MAR. 9| 192i. l 1,402,262. Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

15 SHEETS-SHPE! l2.

l. D. SMITH,

LABELING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, |921.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

l5 SHEETS-SHEE-T I3.

JFT

1. D. SMITH.

LABELING MAQHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 192|.

Patented Jan.. 3, 1922.

I. D. SMITH.

LABE'LING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9. I92I.

Patented Jan. 3, 1922.'

.inca

JOHN D. SMITH, or RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, AssIGNoR To LIGGETI e MYERS TOBACCO COMPANY, or NRW YORK, N.

YI., A. CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

LARELING mcIIINR Application iledl March 9,

To all lwhom t ma/y concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Richmond, in lthe county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain' new 'and' useful Improvementsin Labeling Ma- 4for handling labels of different kinds, and

for applying them to other articles or packages.

A general Object vof the invention is to provide improved, and entirely automatic, co-or'dinated instrumentalities for advancing a'large number of packages in a stated time,

, applying stamps to the individual packages,

and carrying away the packages for grouppackaging 'or other disposition.

'Another object is to provide means for maintainingl 'supply-groups" of individual lstamps at a supply station, each group corresponding to an individual package at the stamp applying station, and stamp handling mechamsm arrangedto seize in each operative cycle, a single stamp from each supply group, transfer it to the applying station,

' adhesively condition-it during. transfer, and

apply'it to thecorresponding package, desirably also with special provision for insuring the adhesion of the stamp to the package, including turning down projecting ends of the ,stamps andpressing them securely against side-surfaces of the packages.

YA further object, incidental to' thel foregoing,'is to eliminate parts and operationsJ required incertain previous machines for' separating individual stamps from strips, before application of the stamps to individual packages.

Another object is to positively press the stamps upon the top s of the packages at. the moment of application and thereupon to positively apply the yends of the stamps to the package sides, so that the stamp applica- 1921. Serial No. 451,078.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jam, 3, 19322.,

tion is substantially completed at one pack- A age station.

A further object is to quickly remove the packages from the applying station and to substantially simultaneously apply i stamp- `retaining devices to the-packages.

A further important object is to greatly n icrea'se the output of such machines by providing for the stamping simultaneously of,

not only a row of packages, but two or more rows, each containing a plurality of individual packages.

Another important object is to provide for\ maintainingv Ythe stamps at the supply station in groups (usuallystacks or vertical columns), face-up, and to remove the individualstamps successively from the-bottoms 0f the columns, andto correspondingly arrange the stamp transferring, gluing and applying i-nstrumentalities.

Another object is to provide in one preferred embodiment of the invention, as here shown, pneumatic stampselecting or grasp- .ing devices, and more particularly to provide for transferring the stamps after they are Withdrawn from the magazines by the primary pneumatic or suction device lto a' second pneumatic or suction -device forming part of the stamp applying mechanism, the

preferred mode of operation being such that the stamps are first removed from the magazinesand supported on an upper surface of the initial stamp engaging and grasping de- Vice with their printed surfaces upward and are ythen engaged and held on an under surface of the secondary engaging or holding device with their blank surfaces downward and these surfaces are then adhesively coated before application to the packages.

The invention as physically embodied includes instrumentalities for accomplishing these -and other objects, as sufficiently further explained in connection with a detailed description of the accompanyingdrawings,

'which show one eXemplifyingl embodiment of the invention; After consi-dering this, persons skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be embodied in different forms also that Amany changes in details, as well as in combinations and subcombinations of parts, may be'made within the principles of the invention; also that certain parts and subcombinatlons of parts may be advantageously used in certain casesA apart from others;,and I contemplate the employment of any structures which are properly within the scope of the appended claims. 4

In the drawings:

Fi 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

Fig. 3 is al front end elevation.

Fig. 4-is a perspective view of the front part of the machine showing mainly the label magazines and operating mechanism, label selecting or initial label gripping device and operating mechanism.

Fi 5 is a perspective view showing main ythe label applying devices,r package elevators, and -package supply conveyors and associatedv parts.

Fi 6 is a perspective view showing main y the gluing device, the vertical packagel feed and labell retaining channels, and package take-off.' and dischargemechanism. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section showing substantially the .saine parts of the mechanismpas Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 1s a lhorizontal sectional detail showing mainly parts associated 'with the rear drive shaft.

Fig. 9 is a detail in transverse section of part of the package take-oil:l or discharge mechanism. j

Fig. 10 is a detail in longitudinalsection of an adjacent pair of label'magazines with the selector or initial label gripper in operative relation, ,l

Fig. 11 is on enlarged detail in longitudinal vertical section of-the label selector.

Fig. 12, is an enlarged detail in vertical section of the package take-off and discharge mechanism.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail in longitudinal section of the lower end of one -of the label magazines.

Figs. 14 to 17,'inclusive, are detail Views' on a similar scale showing' progressively the action ofthe label selector in withdraw- -ingxa label' from the magazine.

Fig; 18 is a perspective detail of the lower,

ends of the two main side members of one of the label magazines.

Fig. 19 is al perspective detail showing mainly the label-scoring mechanism.

Fig. 20 is a perspective View of-a package,

in this case a cigarette pouch package with a label, in this case a stamp, initially applied to the upper end. f

Fig. 21 is'an enlarged detail in vertical longitudinal section of the.label applying mechanism, l

Fig. 22 is a view from the rightof Fig. 21, mainly in elevation and .partly in section.

Fig. 23 is a, vertical section at 23-23, Fig. 22.',

Fig. 24 is a horizontal section at 24-24, Fig. 22. Y

ig. 25 is a bottom plan view of one end f clearness. Shaft 8a is provided with a drive of the label applying head and associated parts.

Fig. 26 isa perspective detail of oneof the 4label pressing fingers.

Fig,'27 is' a Vertical transverse section of the label applyin head and operating means condensed lateral y by breaking out parts.

Fig. 28 is a detail showing one portion of the head, corresponding to a single label, in engagement with apackage.

Fig. 29 is a similar View showing the parts in another operative osition.

Fig. 3() is a similar view showing the parts in still another operative position.

Figs. 31 to 48 Vare diagrams showing different operative positions of the machine.

The machine is built on and about a main frame comprising side uprightsl connected by horizontal. side members 2 and a table 3 restin'gon the uprights. 'Horizontal mein- 85 bers 2 carry bearings 4 in which a forward -driving shaft 5 'is mounted and they also carry bearings 6 in whicha rear driving shaft 7 is mounted. Shaft 7 may be the initial "or main driving shaft of the m'achine, but usually itis itself driven by some driving member moving at a higher speed, l such as a pinion 8, F ig.- 5, carried by a shaft 8a mounted in suitable bearings which are usually located on` the khorizontal frame member 2 at the other side of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 1, the shaft 8a being shown out of position in .Fig 5, for .the sake of pulley 9, or the shaft may be driven in any 10o other convenient way, and pinion 8 engages a larger gear 82 onshaft 7.. Shafts 5 and 7 are connected to rotate at the same speed by sprockets 11 and a chain 13 (Figs. 1, 3, 4 and The ch-ain may be properly 105 tensioned by an idler pulley 15 carried by an arm 17 adjustably mounted on a transverse bar 1 9, referred to hereafter.

Near the front end of the machine above the table is a group of stamp-magazines 10. Near the rear end ofthe `table are arranged a parallel lseries of package conveyors 12, the upper stretches of which run abovethe table level. The packages are brought forward bythe conveyors in parallel rows and a pair of packages in each row (according to the arrangement provided for inthe present embodiment) is located in stamping position below the point 14, .Figl 1. The arrangement of thek stamp magazines corresponds to the arrangement of.the"packages in stamping position.

' A stamp selector, or initial stamp gripper 16, Figs. 1 4and 4, takes stamps simultaneously, one from each magazine, and moves 125 them to a position substantially below the 'point 18, Fig. 1. At that point a movable stamp applying device 20 which may also be referred to at times as a secondary stamp gripping device, or otherwise, as a' stamp 130 transfer device, is brought lover the initial stamp gripper 16; the stamps are transferred from the latter to the secondarygripper 20. They are then moyed to a position substantially. below the point 22, Fig. 1, and there the under 'surfaces of the stamps -are adhesively conditioned, by a gluing device 24. The secondary gripper or applying ages atI stamplng position are then moved up into' the lower ends 'of the respective channels 26. The channel group '26 is then moved back to a point adjacent to a transverse conveyor 28 and packages appearing above the upper ends of the channels after successive operation cycles' are seized by grippers 30 and removed to the conveyor 28 which carries them to the near side of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1 and deposits them on a longitudinal carry-off conveyor 32, for packaging or other disposition,

` (Figs. 2, 6 and 48).

F1g. 20 shows a package P of a sort for the labeling of. which the invention in its present embodiment is especially designed. This is a typical cigarette pouch package in which a group of cigarettes is inclosed in an inner wrapper 11g-and this vis inclosed vin an outer or pouch wrapper p, which has air open top in which the folded upper end of the inner lwrapper is ,exposed and usually projects slightly. above the edge ofthe pouch wrapper. The package has an approximately rectangular form with more lor less.

rounded'corners and as it is presented for stamping, the contents consisting of the cigarettes-and inner wrapping fw is in many cases entirely free Afrom the pouch wrapper and it is desirable, therefore, that the application of the label, in the present case a revenue stam shall not only be to comply with the requ1rementsof law, but shall serve' at the same time to secure the niger package to the pouch wrapper. The' p c more or less compressible and need to vloe supported in certain-ways for the. bestresults.

While the cigarette contents of the packages have considerable strength and rigidity in the vertical dimension of the package, as

shown in Fig. 20, the package iscompressible to a considerable extent in this directiondue to the moderate looseness of the folds of the inner wrapperw at the upper and lower endsyof the packagev and to similar looseness of thevr uch wrapper at the go is shown in the osition in which it is most desirably initially applied to. the package, that is with its central portion adhesively secured substantially kages are .remaining portion '56 of the periphery centrally to the upper end folds of the inner Wrapper lw and with4 its ends e ready to be folded down against the broader sides' ofv the pouch wrapper. Previous .to application the stamp 1 s, of course, adhesively conditioned on its lower face, most conveniently by 'applyin glue. Desirablythe proper folding'of t e stamp ,ends is facilitated by creasing or scoring the stamp alongthe lines c previous to application to the package.,- After the initial application the ends are folded down and secured as shown in dotted lines at e. Y

The machine in the present embodiment has been constructed to comply with the -conditions and requirements. above mentioned. The* conveyors 12 ffor unstamped packages are arranged in a parallel series as best understood in Fig. 2, five conveyors being provided in the present instance. Each conveyor consists of a sprocket chain of ordinary link and block construction, running over a rear sprocket 35 (Figs. 1 to 5) on a shaft 36. and a front sprocket 38 on a shaft 39. At suitableintervals, somewhat greater than the length of two packages arranged on end with their narrow sides in contact, as best shown 1n Figs. 5 and 7, each conveyor 1s provided with a pushing blade 41, these lblades being secured to suitable linksof the chain. The upper iiight 'of each conveyor runs between two upright guide boards 43, ofsuch height that the upper -ends of the packages extend vconsiderably above their upper edges and desirably these edges of the guide boards are beveled inwardly as at 45. The uide boardsl are spaced apart to nearly litV t e packages arranged in the positions shown, but to permit free sliding movement of the packages between them. At the bottom of each guide board is arranged at Qthe corresponding side of the conveyor chain an inwardly projecting supporting rail 47, and these rails engage the lower ends ofthe. packages and support them while they are pushed along by .blades 41. The conveyor chains 12 are spaced apart a suitable distance to'correspond with a convenient arrangement of the stamp magazines aslater explained, and also to permit convenient arrangement and action of the stamp applying mechanism, 'as will be understood 1n a laterdescription of ,that mechanism.

The package'conveyors are simultaneously 120 and intermittently driven'in the following manner: Shaft 39 is provided with a pinion 50, Fig. 5, 'engaged by an interrupted gear 52 mounted on a shaft 54. The teeth of gear l52 extend about a'small portion, usually 125 about one-fourthof its periphery, and the 1s circular, the circle being struck substantla'lly on the pitch center of the gear teeth. The pinion 50 is of such diameter that its toothed 130 length as the length of J segment 56 of the gear, the pinionhas a short concave segment 58, the co-operation of this concave segment with the circular peripheryy of the gear holding the pinion and its shaft and the conveyor chains stationary during the greater part of each revolution of the gear until the rst tooth of the gear strikes the pinion and thereupon the pinion is rotated one turn during apart turn of the gear and thereafter the pinion is again held stationary. Gear 52 and pinion 50 may, if desired, be duplicated at the opposite side of the machine. Shaft 54 is driven by sprockets and a chain 55 from shaft 7 At each rotation of the pinion each conveyor is moved forward one step 'and at each rest of` the conveyor two packages are brought totheforemost conveyor position, as clearly seen in Fig. 5,'with the' rear one of the two packages resting against 'angular action of theblade 41 as it turns about shaft 54. The packages are stopped by the rear wall 441 described. Unefof these elevators is located in front .of each package conveyor and isarranged to move vertically between the forward ends of ide boards 43, and to additionally guide an support the packages laterally in this position, which is the stamping position,v

the gu'de boards 'are provided with inner .thin plates 64, the upper edges of which exteiid somewhat above the upper 4edges of the guide boards and engage and support the wide sides of the packages up to a point close to the lower margins of the stamp ends e, Fig. 20, when turned down against the sides of the packages. Each elevator, whichmay also be described as a support for the pair of packages in stamping position,

' -a downwardly turned rear end .66 confronting the space between the front ends of package supporting rails 47. Each elevator a rod 68 and these -rods are is carried by piece 70 having .vertical secured to a cross end members 72 provided with vertical ribs 74 engagin channels 75 in vertical ide members 7% which have angular en s 78 bolted to the underside of the table.

Normally the elevators are in the position shown in Fig. 5, that is substantially flush with the lower ends of the packages as the acka es are deliver/ed from the conveyors. ghort y after 'the packages are positioned the foremost' blade 41. The blade 41 which was previously in 4more than the other, of a gluetank 440, later has Y stamps are applied to them and the pairs ofA packages are thereafter simultaneously moved up by the elevators into'lthe lower ends of theyertical guide and brush chan-y nels 26, as later explained.

The packageslare vplaced in pairs on the conveyors 12 by hand or'by any suitable' au-pl The inner wrapper w, Fig. 20, usually has upper exposed flaps w, co2, and these are usually not adhesively secured, and, therefore, may spring upward more -or less during conveyance towardthe stamping posi` tion. lt is desirable to pro-vide means to insure that these `flaps are properly turned ,down on the package tops at the time of stamp application, and for that purpose fiap guiding and pressing devices are desirably provided, consisting of flat strips 80.

Figs. 1 and 7, carried by cross pieces'82 and Y l uprights 84 secured to certain of the guide boards 43, one of the guide strips y80 Vbeing, provided over each conveyor channel. The rearward end 86 of each guide strip is desirab'ly'bent upward and is also desirably bent angularly in relation to the-,lateral dimension of' the machine, so that, as the packages are usually arranged, the outermost flap, which tends lto project upward is substantially parallel with the rearward end ofthe guide strip as it. approaches it, and is most effectively wiped down into position by 'the angular member of the guide strip and from there' on the horizontal portion of the strip retains and presses the flaps in position, and finally they are/additionally pressed just before going to stamping position, by the slightly downwardly turned front ends 88- ,of the strips.

\ The elevatorl frame comprising the cross piece 70 and vertical members .72, is reciprocatedat suitable intervals by the following means: The vertical members areprovided on theirrear faces with rack-teeth 90 and these are engaged by gears 92 mounted on a transverse shaft 94 which has bearings in vertical guide members 77. Shaft 94 carries a pinion 96 engaged by a segment gear 98 fixed to anintermediate transverse shaft 100. This shaft is mounted in bearings 102 at the lower ends of frame brackets 104. An arm 106 is fixed to shaft 100 andis connected by'a .link 108 (see Fig. 5) to a cam yokllO straddling shaft 7 and the link is provided with-a cam roller 112 enga ing a cam groove 114-in acircular cam bo y\116 secured to stood in Fig. 2, are arranged in pairs, the two magazines of each pair'being in line .with one of the -package conveyors; or otherwise described the magazines are arranged in 'two parallel rows in the transverse direction of the machine, with live magazines in each row, corresponding to the arrangement of packages at the stamping position.`

' Each magazine (Figs. 4 and 10') 'consists of two parallel vertical plates 120 having rightcured by'angle' pieces 127 to a cross .piece 129 and the ends of this cross piece are provided with lugs 131 apertured to slideon vertical posts 133, bolted to" the table. The lugs 131 are provided with trunnions 135 engaged by the upper ends of links 137 and the lower ends of these links are connected to the ends 4 o'f arms 139 which are movably mounted on transverse bar 19, previously mentioned.

This bar is fixedly secured in the upper ends of uprights 141 resting-on frame 'members 2, Fig. l. Each of the arms-139 hasa cam roller 143 running in a camgroove 145 formed in a circular cam body 147 and thesel cam bodies are mounted on shaft 5. Each cam groove'has a `short depressed portion 149 so that in .each rotation of shaft 5 the two links 137 are momentarily pulled down through the movement of arms 139 and the group of stamp magazines is thus depressed to In'ove the lowermost stamp in each stack into engagement with the initial stamp gripper 1'6.

The. 'stack of stamps descends in each magazine bygravity, and means are provided to hold the stack by engaging the bottom stamp, and at the-same time toL permit withdrawal of the bottom stamp by a suitable picker or gripper, and particularly in the present embodiment by a pneumatic or suction gripping device. For` this purpose (Figs. 10, and 13 to 18,' inclusive), each plate 120 has centrally at its bottom edge an inwardly projecting narrow finger 154 terminating in asharp inner edge 155.

' These two fingers of each magazine are opposite each other as best shown in Fig. 18

and engage centrally beneath the end of the lower stamp in 'the stack..y In each of the side flanges 122 there is another ngeror tance and' desirabl t ese prongs havedown- Ward and inwar ly inclined u per 'faces 158 tand these faces are arrangef K somewhat inward a short disabove the vlevel of ngers 154. There is thus provided a pair of confronting 'prongs near each end ofthe lower stamp, engagingbelow the side edges of the stamp, the four prongs 157 of each magazine thus affording four angular points of support above the level of the two points of endsupport af-l forded by the) fingers 154. This arrangement is one desirable arrangement to rovide .for progressive and easy withdrawa of the lower stamp without tending to dislodge other stamps and also to coperate in an effective way with the suction selector or gripper now to be described.

This selector or initial gripper 16 (Figs. 1 to 4), is of substantially rectangular outline and comprises-two main parallel portions 164, connected by endl members 166.

The main transverse members 164 are hollow and their hollow interiors are connected by air passages 168 in end members 166. The forward member 164 is bored to receive one or more .pipe connections 170 and where there is more than one pipe connection they are connected by a transverse pipe 172 and this isin turn connected by a fitting 174 and a flexible hose connection 176 to a suction controlling valve 178. Hose connection 176 leads to a port 180 at the rear ofthe valve casing, and the casing also has a port l 182above port '180 and at the front of the casing Afor connection toV the secondary stampgripper or stamp applying device 20, as later explained. l Each df the main transverse members 164 ofthe gripper has a plurality of raised flat surfaces 185, each corresponding in areato a stamp, and a plurality of holes are bored vertically through each-of these faces communicating with .th hollow interior of the gripper. Some of these, such as the holes 187, forming a rec-l tangular outline near the periphery of the corresponding raised surface, may be of relatively small diameter and others, such.

as the central holes 189, may be-considerably` larger. When. the'suction gripper is polsitioned beneath the magazines, as shown in Fig. 4, and the magazines are lowered by the.

action' of the 'cams and links 137 above described, the lower end of each magazine is close above one of the stamp. receiving surfaces 185. A valve in the valve casing 178 is operated at about thismoment to put the hollow interior of the suctionrhead inconnection with a suitable air exhausting device, such as an exhauster, or a tank connectl 4ed.with a suitable exhauster. Air rushing into the-openings187 and 189,- as indicated in Fig. 14, first pulls down the central portion of the 'lower stamp untilit en a es the fingers 154. 4This down curving o t e central portion of the stamp is assisted b the larger amount of air rushing throug the large central hole 189. By this bending the stamp is shortened transversely 'as indi- 

